Archive for November 18th, 2012

So, not the prettiest game on Saturday.
The Raptors were outclassed at every position except, maybe, power forward. With Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields out, Boston is just a much better team. To compete with the Celtics, the Raptors needed to get off to a fast start. Instead, there was no defence, Andrea Bargnani disappeared after a stellar opening two minutes and Rajon Rondo annihilated Jose Calderon and the Raptors.
As expected, Kevin Garnett had his way with Jonas Valanciunas. KG’s quickness and shiftiness down low was a while new lesson for the rookie.
Searching for positives, here they are:
Active night from Ed Davis. Nine boards in 21 minutes and a key part of Toronto’s rally. The Raptors got it down to four at one point, before Boston swamped them again.
John Lucas has found his shot. He hit 5-of-11 and is now up to 25% on the season, from his brutal 8% start.
Quincy Acy got a chance after having what Dwane Casey said was a great practice on Friday, and played well.
Terrence Ross continues to show flashes, though he still has a lot to learn. His offence is far ahead of his defence at this point, which will limit how much Casey can play him.
Back to Bargnani, again, you can’t win when he has games like this and is one of your top options. Does very little beyond scoring and wasn’t hitting his shots. He’s not the only problem, but he’s hurting the Raptors when he’s out there.
Like most teams, the Raptors seem to have no idea how to slow down Rondo, who was brilliant.

So, not the prettiest game on Saturday.
The Raptors were outclassed at every position except, maybe, power forward. With Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields out, Boston is just a much better team. To compete with the Celtics, the Raptors needed to get off to a fast start. Instead, there was no defence, Andrea Bargnani disappeared after a stellar opening two minutes and Rajon Rondo annihilated Jose Calderon and the Raptors.
As expected, Kevin Garnett had his way with Jonas Valanciunas. KG’s quickness and shiftiness down low was a while new lesson for the rookie.
Searching for positives, here they are:
Active night from Ed Davis. Nine boards in 21 minutes and a key part of Toronto’s rally. The Raptors got it down to four at one point, before Boston swamped them again.
John Lucas has found his shot. He hit 5-of-11 and is now up to 25% on the season, from his brutal 8% start.
Quincy Acy got a chance after having what Dwane Casey said was a great practice on Friday, and played well.
Terrence Ross continues to show flashes, though he still has a lot to learn. His offence is far ahead of his defence at this point, which will limit how much Casey can play him.
Back to Bargnani, again, you can’t win when he has games like this and is one of your top options. Does very little beyond scorie and wasn’t hitting his shots. He’s not the only problem, but he’s hurting the Raptors when he’s out there.
Like most teams, the Raptors seem to have no idea how to slow down Rondo, who was brilliant.